No More Than You Can Handle

No More Than You Can Handle

By Joel B.

1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

The fiery darts of the enemy are going to come flying at us whether we like it or not. These darts can take so many different forms to include anything from addictions to hatred. The thing is, God always gives us a way out. In fact, He has promised us that he will not allow us to face that beyond what we can bear.

Many times when we become bombarded by the enemies attack, we simply choose to give in. We don’t take that open doorway out that the Lord has provided. This doesn’t mean that the opportunity wasn’t there to resist. You could’ve chosen not to take that illegal drug or chosen to reach out to someone who seemed unlovable. Maybe it didn’t seem easy, but you could’ve certainly approached things differently.

The first step in learning how to defeat these attacks is learning to put on the full armor of God. The armor is listed in Eph 6:13-18. These pieces are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shod feet ready to move with the Gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the Sword of the Spirit, and prayer. I’m going to talk briefly about several of these pieces and how they can help you win your battles.

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Having faith that God is with you and that He cares about your problems is a good starting place for dealing with issues. Know that God has a plan to bring you out of whatever pit you’re in and don’t let things shake you. The enemy works on fear, and if your confidence does not sway from the Lord, the enemy will quickly be defeated and be forced to flee.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The word of God can be used as a mighty spiritual weapon. It is great for discerning problems and determining proper ways to deal with personal conflict. Again, when you yield this piece of armor, you will soon have the enemy fleeing.

Finally we have prayer. Prayer is a personal connection with God, and is very useful in times of weakness. It gives us a chance to vent our feelings and also to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. It also gives us a timeout to reflect on what we were about to do and think about a more appropriate course of action.

Friends, God loves you and doesn’t want you to struggle. He does however want you to be prepared spiritually. I briefly went over three of the seven pieces of the armor of God. I would encourage you to take some time to study all seven and how you can arm yourself with them. Only when we are fully armed soldiers of God will the enemy tremble in fear. Until then, spiritual wickedness will try to choke out those who are struggling. Remember to look to God always and He will provide a way out. Thank you for reading and God bless.